


Side Effects of Life

by charming_barnes



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angel Castiel, Fluff, Human Castiel, Light Angst, M/M, Supernatural AU - Freeform, destiel but kinda lowkey, lowkey body horror?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-16
Updated: 2017-06-16
Packaged: 2018-11-15 00:20:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 902
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11219301
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/charming_barnes/pseuds/charming_barnes
Summary: In this world, killing has consequences. Even accidentally stepping on a bug can give you a headache for a few hours. Sam and Dean Winchester have it even worse than anyone, the hunter's life causing them almost constant pain, but after so many years in the life they hardly even notice the symptoms anymore. At least, they don't until the angels fall and Castiel has to find out about the side effects of a hunter's life the hard way.





	Side Effects of Life

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first multi-chapter Supernatural fanfic that I actually plan on finishing, so bear with me. I do, however, plan on updating weekly. Plus ! this is an original au so there's a fair amount of worldbuilding i gotta figure out so if anything doesn't make sense just let me know and I'll get it fixed for you :-)

Sam’s face is a little smug and a little guilty as he wins yet another round of rock, paper, scissors. Dean manages to sigh so loudly that Sam actually has to check that the werewolves they’re hunting didn’t hear it. Dean grumbles a little, checking to make sure his gun is loaded with special silver bullets. 

A bullet finds its way into one of the werewolves’ skulls before they even notice Dean creeping out from behind a tree. The other reacts quickly, her lips drawn back in a snarl as a limping Dean lifts the gun and fires off a shot. He misses, splintering a tree branch behind her as the girl runs, teeth bared, to where Dean is hiding. He curses as Sam shoots the were before she can reach either of them.

Sam’s voice sounds a little weaker than usual when he calls to make sure Dean is alright.

“Yeah, I’m alright. Can’t feel my foot, though. You okay over there?”

“Uh, I guess? I think my left ear went dead this time.”

“Yeah, well, welcome to the club. My right ear is pretty much useless at this point. At least it isn’t another one of those headaches you always seem to get.”

Sam just nods as they pack everything back into the Impala’s trunk. The ride back to the motel is silent except for Dean’s classic rock playing at an honestly unnecessary volume, because Dean is a hypocrite. Dean had to let Sam drive since he couldn’t feel any pressure in his foot, but still claimed music privileges by citing older brother superiority.

Halfway to the motel, Dean spots a McDonalds and makes Sam turn around because he feels he deserves it to make up for the foot thing.

“Hey, don’t forget a burger for Cas, too.”

“Dean, angels don’t actually eat? You know he’ll just complain about not being able to taste it.”

“Yeah, but he loves these horrible burgers. It’s happy complaining.” 

“Okay, whatever. Don’t get upset when he complains about atoms, or whatever it is this time,” Sam says, adding another burger to their order anyway.

Cas’s face lights up when the brothers walk in their motel room with the burgers, and Dean mentally high fives himself. Sam is just glad he ordered more than one for the angel as the first burger disappears in less than five minutes around mumbled complaints about Castiel’s lack of the ability to actually taste the food. 

Dean has just finished being glad that Cas hasn’t asked about his slight limp when Cas asks about his limp. Dean makes up some elaborate story about werewolves, innocent woman, and stairs, completely ignoring Sam’s bitchface. 

Hey, Dean just wants Cas to stay unaware of the pain the brothers go through as part of every routine hunt as long as he can. For an angel, Castiel knows quite a bit about human culture, but for some reason that Dean hasn’t quite figured out, he doesn’t know about the side effects of killing. Sam, for example, is somehow predisposed to getting pretty severe headaches every time he kills a vampire. Dean, more often than not, loses the hearing in his right ear for days at a time whenever the hunt involves the deaths of demons, to the point where he can barely ever hear out of that ear. 

This little piece of human biology only really annoys Dean when bugs fly right into Baby’s windshield, because since he’s technically responsible for their stupidity he can feel little bruises forming on his arms and legs for every little bug he accidentally hurts. Honestly, Dean doesn’t think that’s fair. Not that anyone cares what he thinks about it. Especially Sam, who gets treated to a rant every time a bug splatters on his window. 

Cas looks only mostly convinced as Dean’s complex story ends. He doesn’t press the issue, however, and has to ask Sam the same question a few times before he actually hears it. Sam makes up some excuse about being tired, so Cas says his goodbyes before zapping off to wherever he goes when he isn’t with the Winchesters. 

“Dean, you can’t hide what happens to us forever.”

“Like hell I can’t. Cas doesn’t need to know why we always come home with some kind of injury that magically vanishes after a few days.”

“You know, he may be able to help if you would stop sheltering him and just told him what was going on,” Sam mumbles the last part, “so please just tell your boyfriend and he can angel-magic us immune or something.”

“Hey, Cas is not my boyfriend. Any anyway, aren’t you used to it by now?”

“Well, yeah, but it would be nice to be able to see out of both eyes all the time, even after vamp fights.”

“Yeah, I guess so. Maybe I’ll tell him tomorrow.” The bitchface Sam had turned in his direction made Dean shiver even as the lights were turned off and Dean hid himself under the covers.

“No, you won’t, I know you won’t.”

“Alright, you tell him then,” is Dean’s muffled reply from underneath the bedsheets.

“No way, man, he’s your boyfriend,” Sam says through a smirk as Dean sits up from his blanket fort indignantly.

“You know what? Shut up,” And with that, Dean rolled over and stubbornly refused to respond to anything Sam tried to say until he fell asleep.


End file.
